Netanyahu Lead Narrows in Israel Poll as Jewish Home Party Gains

By Calev Ben-David -
Dec 25, 2012

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-Beitenu party saw its lead trimmed in the
latest poll by the Haaretz daily, as the Jewish Home faction,
which supports building West Bank settlements, gained.

Likud-Beitenu would win 35 parliamentary seats in today’s
Haaretz poll, down four from a survey published by the daily on
Dec. 10. Parties likely to support Netanyahu’s efforts to form a
new coalition after the Jan. 22 vote would gain more than half
of the 120 seats in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset.

Among the parties set to support Netanyahu is Jewish Home,
which saw its support rise to 13 seats from 11 in the previous
poll. The gain comes after Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett
said last week he would rather go to jail for insubordination
than follow orders as a soldier to evict West Bank settlers,
remarks that drew criticism from Netanyahu.

The poll of 491 Israelis has a 4.3 percent margin-of-error,
Haaretz said.